Clan or Kin?
by LemmyShine
Summary: A young RiverClan apprentice must make the hard decision to choose between her Clan and her kin. With an unloving mother such as her's, one would think that it would be an easy choice for Rainpaw, but she loves her brother dearly...Who will she choose?


_Author's Note: I actually wrote this story...probably some time last year. So, if there are a few errors at the moment, I apologize. I will get to fixing them shortly! Also, this is somewhat of a prequel to Rainmask's short story, and, as you can see, it will be a longer story with chapters._

_Sun filtered in through the branches_ of the trees that hung over RiverClan camp. A young apprentice opened her green eyes slowly. Her gray tabby pelt bristled as she stood up to stretch. She looked over at her bright orange tabby brother. Prodding him with a forepaw, she daintily mewed. He blinked open his amber eyes and looked over at her.  
"Sunpaw, you always sleep too late." the gray tabby told her sibling.  
"Well I'm awake now, Rainpaw." he mewed as his whiskers twitched. Sunpaw stretched where he lay, wishing that he could continue with his slumber. However, he knew Rainpaw would allow no such thing. Reluctantly, he stood, then faced his sister to rasp his tongue over her ear, "I can't believe you're so eager to wake up when you know that all we're going to do is take care of the elders."  
Rainpaw shrugged, "That may be true, but think of it this way...Every day we help out around camp, that's one pawstep closer to becoming a full-fledged warrior!" she purred.  
Sunpaw nodded, "I suppose you're right Anyways, we had better get going. It's not a good impression to sleep until moonrise." Rainpaw gave a _mrrow_ of laughter before making her way out of the apprentice's den. A light brown she-cat padded up to the pair and pressed her muzzle against Rainpaw's side.  
"Good morning, Pebblewhisker." Rainpaw greeted her mentor with a small bow. Sunpaw dismissed himself from the two and padded off to find his own mentor. "So what are we going to do today?" Rainpaw asked happily. Pebblewhisker's tail curled.  
She twitched her whiskers as she mewed, "Today, Rainpaw, we're going fishing." Her apprentices green eyes glittered in delight, and she mewed happily. This would be the first time she had officially gone fishing. For a moment, she wondered if Sunpaw and Drizzleclaw would be going fishing as well.

Needless to say, the young apprentice was delighted to see her brother at the bank with his own mentor. She bounded over to him and touched her muzzle to his. Drizzleclaw bowed slightly at Pebblewhisker, and she did the same to the RiverClan deputy.  
Rainpaw mewed, "Isn't this great, Sunpaw? Better than picking ticks off elders any day!" Sunpaw nodded and turned to his mentor. Drizzleclaw beckoned Sunpaw to follow him with a flick of his tail. The two pairs would be fishing separately, as not to distract the apprentice siblings from the task.  
"Well," Pebblewhisker began, "As you know, Rainpaw, catching a fish is a vital skill to any RiverClan warrior. Today I will teach you how to properly do so, so that you may catch fish for your Clan for many moons to come." Rainpaw nodded as the tip of her tail twitched eagerly. She was already gazing down into the water and mentally deciding which fish would be the best to catch if she wanted to impress her mentor. Pebblewhisker noted her excitement and brushed Rainpaw's shoulder with her tail-tip, "Crouch low to the water, but make sure you don't cast a shadow. Fish have eyes too, and they won't wait patiently for you to catch them." she meowed. Rainpaw nodded and quickly crouched as her mentor had told her to. "Now raise a paw and wait. Only strike when a fish is close or has stopped. Be sure to flex your claws and hook them into the fish. Then pull the fish back towards you. Be sure to back up to give it plenty of room. When it's on land, give it a quick bit before it flops away. All right?" Rainpaw nodded. "Go ahead." Pebblewhisker meowed quickly, backing away a few tail-lengths. Rainpaw drew in a deep breath as to relax and prepare herself. She brought her paw up and steadied it in the air. Her green eyes fixed on a fish as it headed straight for her. _Lucky!_ She thought as the large fish stopped right in front of her, wriggling in the water as it rested. In a heartbeat, Rainpaw had her paw in the water, right on the fish. Her heart leaped as she felt the smooth texture against her pawpad. She unsheathed her claws into its flesh to help her grip onto it. She quickly scooted back as she dragged the flopping creature on to the bank. Clumsily, she bit into the fish, its tail slapping her in the face a few times. Finally it stopped, and Rainpaw gazed down at her catch with dazed eyes. Pebblewhisker let out a _mrrow_ as she padded toward her.  
Rainpaw looked up, "That all happened so quickly!"  
"Yes," Pebblewhisker mewed, "That was very good. You'll perfect your technique as time goes by. Hopefully you won't be slapped in the face by too many more fish." she let out an amused purr. Rainpaw scuffled her paws in embarrassment, recalling the unpleasant and awkward experience. The two she-cats heard an unpleasant yowl from further down stream. Rainpaw looked over and squinted to see Sunpaw struggling back to the riverbank. She flinched as he scrabbled back onto the shore, but she was thankful that he was a RiverClan cat. Any ThunderClan or WindClan cat would have easily been swept away by the current. She wished that she could go over and see if he was all right, but knew that Pebblewhisker would rather have her training.  
As if reading her thoughts, Pebblewhisker gave a soft mew, "Don't worry about Sunpaw. He's fine. Probably just a bit frustrated now." she purred.  
Rainpaw gave a slow nod, "Shall we go take this to the elders?" she mewed inquisitively.  
"Yes. And let's tell Stripedfern what an excellent job you did, too. I know she'll be proud." Rainpaw trailed off at the thought of her mother. Stripedfern has never quite taken notice of Rainpaw's achievements. She stayed focused on Sunpaw most of the time. Rainpaw knew this was simply because the bright orange tabby had taken after his father so much. Their father, Tricklestep, had run away to become a rogue after his sister died. Rainpaw had never seen her father, but knew by what her mother said that Sunpaw looked just like him. Rainpaw also knew that Stripedfern longed to run from her warrior duties to be with her mate. But that was like betraying a StarClan warrior to his face. In all honesty, Rainpaw expected it would happen one day, and she was afraid that Sunpaw would be expected to leave as well.  
Pebblewhisker brought the tabby she-cat out of her daze, "Are you coming?"  
"Hmm? Oh!" Rainpaw noticed that her mentor was already a few fox-lengths away. She quickly picked up the plump fish and rushed towards Pebblewhisker, and then they both headed to camp.

Stripedfern sat quietly, gazing up at the sky as she usually did. Pebblewhisker gestured towards her with a flick of the tail before heading towards Jaggedtooth and Mapledawn with the fish Rainpaw had caught. Rainpaw sighed and walked over to her mother, who looked exactly like her. The only difference between the two gray tabby she-cats was their eye color.  
"Hello, Stripedfern..." Rainpaw mewed warmly as she sat next to her. Stripedfern flicked her ear, acknowledging Rainpaw's presence. "I, uh...I caught a fish on my first try."  
"That's nice. Did Drizzleclaw take Sunpaw fishing as well?"  
"Yes..." Rainpaw looked down at her paws. Sunpaw's scent drifted to her nose, and she figured he and Drizzleclaw had just gotten back. Stripedfern must have smelled them too, because she quickly stood and headed towards them. Rainpaw looked over her shoulder to see Sunpaw drenched in water, carrying a fish much smaller than the one she had caught. Nonetheless, Stripedfern still gave her son's forehead a few affectionate licks as she praised him.  
"Hello, Rainpaw." she heard on the other side of her. She looked over quickly to see another apprentice, older than herself. "How are you?" the tom asked before smoothing his sandy brown fur down.  
"I've been better, Desertpaw." she admitted, looking away as he looked over at her.  
"And why's that?" he mewed. Rainpaw sighed, but said nothing. She looked over at Stripedfern and Sunpaw again and her eyes clouded with sadness. Desertpaw followed her gaze, "I see," he licked her ear, "Don't worry, all right? Stripedfern loves you just as much as she loves Sunpaw. She just...doesn't show it as well. There's no need to be sad." he touched the tip of his tail to her shoulder.  
Rainpaw nodded, "I suppose...Anyways, aren't you going to have your warrior ceremony soon?" she tried to change the subject.  
His fur bristled and he beamed with pride, "Next sun high!" he replied, curling his tail.  
Rainpaw purred, "You're going to be a great warrior."  
"And so will you" his amber eyes glowed. Rainpaw scuffled her paw and shrugged. Desertpaw gave a _mrrow_ of amusement, "Your warrior ceremony isn't too far off, I should think. Pebblewhisker told me about you catching a fish on the first try. A big one at that!"  
"Well...it wasn't _that_ big." Rainpaw wasn't used to such attention.  
Desertpaw touched his nose to her cheek, "I should go. I'll be needed for the patrol." he mewed as he stood and padded away. Rainpaw watched after him until he vanished, then looked back to where Stripedfern and Sunpaw had previously stood. She hated the feeling of loneliness.

It seemed as though several moons had passed before the next sun high came around. The RiverClan cats had gathered at the center of the camp around a large stone.  
Reedstar jumped onto it and yowled, "Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the stone for a Clan meeting." Desertpaw padded over to Stripedfern, who had been his mentor. Her whiskers twitched as he stood beside her, and both looked up at Reedstar. "Stripedfern, are you satisfied that Desertpaw is ready to become a warrior?"  
With emotionless eyes, the tabby she-cat dipped her head, "I am." Reedstar creeped down from the stone to stand in front of Desertpaw. The sandy brown tom took a step closer to his leader, his eyes shining.  
"I, Reedstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice." Reedstar stood rigid. "He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Desertpaw, do you promised to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"  
"I do." Desertpaw replied.  
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Desertpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Desertstorm. StarClan honors your bravery and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." he rested his muzzle on the top of Desertstorm's head. In turn, Desertstorm gave Reedstar's shoulder a respectful lick.  
"Desertstorm! Desertstorm!" the Clan greeted him by his new name as he padded back towards them. Rainpaw was one of the first to greet him, as she had sat in the very front next to Pebblewhisker.  
"Congratulations, Desertstorm." she said, touching her nose to his.  
Desertstorm mewed, "I'll have to sit in vigil tonight."  
"I know." Rainpaw nodded. Pebblewhisker stood and flicked her tail as a signal for Rainpaw to follow. "Good-bye, Desertstorm. Congratulations again." she called over her shoulder as she padded away with her mentor. As she walked away, Rainpaw noticed that Stripedfern was speaking with Sunpaw about something. Her belly lurched when she realized that Desertstorm was Stripedfern's apprentice, and he had just been given his warrior name. Would Stripedfern be leaving soon? Would she be taking Sunpaw with her? Rainpaw's old, lonely feelings seeped back down into her bones. If Stripedfern and Sunpaw left, then she would have no kin left in the Clan. She would be abandoned. This thought brought another question. Would Stripedfern want Rainpaw to go with them? Would Rainpaw have to choose between her kin and her Clan?  
Sunpaw bounded over when he was done speaking with Stripedfern, "Mother wants to speak with us…" he sounded like something was troubling him. Pebblewhisker gave him an odd look. Rainpaw looked over to her, and she nodded. Rainpaw followed Sunpaw back over to where Stripedfern was waiting.  
"Hello, Rainpaw." Stripedfern looked at her daughter with emotionless, amber eyes.  
Rainpaw gulped, "Hello, Mother…"  
"You both know that Desertstorm was my apprentice. Now that he is a warrior, I have no meaning here in RiverClan."  
"Don't say that! Sunpaw and I still haven't earned _our_ warrior names!" Rainpaw knew what Stripedfern was getting at.  
"So I plan on leaving. I know where Tricklestep is, and I am going to live with him. I will ask you both this once. Will you be joining me?" The fur on Rainpaw's neck rose. That was betraying the Clan! She couldn't believe that her mother, of all cats, was asking her kits to betray their own Clan.  
Her green eyes glinted with sorrow, "Stripedfern…I…I can't. I grew up here, and I will stay here for many moons to come."  
"Sunpaw?" Stripedfern seemed to brush Rainpaw off. It felt as though a thorn were piercing Rainpaw's heart. Sunpaw looked over at his sister.  
He sighed, "I can't choose between you and Rainpaw, Mother." Stripedfern seemed a bit taken aback.  
"Well…" she stammered, "Maybe you will join me when you have received your warrior name…?" Sunpaw looked down at his paws. It was obvious that he did not want to make such an important decision so quickly. "I will give you time. I'm telling Reedstar that I'm leaving at moonrise. You have until then." Stripedfern stood and padded away to find the Clan leader. Rainpaw tried to comfort Sunpaw, even though she had her own sad feeling welling up in her throat.  
"What should I do…?" Sunpaw asked wearily.  
"I'm not sure…Which is more important to you? Your Clan…or your kin?" Sunpaw gazed down at his paws once more.  
He looked into her green eyes, "How can you expect me to choose? I want to stay loyal to my Clan, but I don't know if I could make it without Stripedfern…If I did go with her, then I would be lost without you."  
"But you would see our father…" she tried to make the situation better somehow. She knew that Sunpaw wanted to go, and she did not want to hold him back. She rested the tip of her tail on his shoulder, "You should go with Stripedfern. I know you'll be happy with her."  
"If I wanted to go after I got my warrior name…would you promise to keep that a secret?" he meowed quietly. Rainpaw's heart lurched.  
She sighed, "Of course." She knew that if she told anyone about Sunpaw's thought that the whole Clan would question his loyalty.  
"I'll tell Stripedfern when she's done speaking with Reedstar." Sunpaw sounded excited now. He butted his forehead against hers lovingly before dashing off. Rainpaw tried to be excited for him, but it was difficult.

The apprentice den did not seem near as warm that night. Rainpaw lay still, though she stayed awake. Sunpaw was sleeping peacefully, having told Stripedfern his good news. Their mother had already left, and Desertstorm was sitting in vigil. Sadness clawed at her when Rainpaw remembered that he would no longer be sleeping in the apprentice den, but in the warrior den instead. As time passed, tiredness tugged at Rainpaw's eyelids until they were shut.

She found herself by the stream. Looking around, Rainpaw finally realized she was dreaming.  
"Rainpaw…" a voice called out to her. She turned and saw a bright, shining she-cat. It was Tricklestep's sister, Minnowpelt, who had passed away so many moons ago.  
"Minnowpelt…what are you doing here?" Rainpaw asked as she approached the light brown warrior. Minnowpelt sat down and flicked her tail for Rainpaw to sit as well.  
"I wanted to speak with you." She began, "StarClan see what is happening to you.  
"Will Sunpaw really leave?" Rainpaw mewed desperately.  
"I can't say for sure. But will you?"  
"Of course not! I'm loyal to my Clan!"  
Minnowpelt dipped her head, "And what do you think of your kin?"  
"I…" Rainpaw stopped. She thought for a moment. The same question that she had asked Sunpaw was just asked to her. Now she knew why he could not choose, "I love my kin as much as any other cat would." She answered truthfully.  
Minnowpelt let out a purr, "You're just like Tricklestep."  
"What do you mean? Sunpaw is the mirror image of him."  
"But _you_ have your father's wit, courage, and level headedness. That is why Stripedfern fears you."  
"Fear? She doesn't fear me…She just doesn't love me…"  
"You know as well as I do that that's not true."  
"What will I do…when everyone's gone…?"  
"I have to go." Minnowpelt stood.  
"Wait! Please stay."  
"We will speak again." She touched her nose to Rainpaw's before walking away. A few moments later, she faded.

A paw prodded Rainpaw's side, and she blinked her eyes open. Sunpaw's whiskers twitched as she sat up and stretched.  
"Did you sleep well?" he asked. Rainpaw simply nodded. There was no need in telling him that she spoke with Minnowpelt. "You were talking in your sleep." He murmured. Then he added thoughtfully, "Nothing I could understand, though."  
"All right. Well…we should get going. Pebblewhisker and Drizzleclaw won't be happy with us if we get out late."  
"Okay. But…Rainpaw?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Are you…upset with me?" Rainpaw had to ask herself that question before she could answer honestly.  
After a few moments her mewed, "I'm not upset with _you_. You haven't done a thing wrong, Sunpaw."  
"A…All right." He mewed. He was the first one out of the apprentice den. Rainpaw was left in an awkward silence. _Was_ she upset with Sunpaw? There was no reason why she should have been. Although, she did feel a certain distance from her brother. She tried to shrug off the feeling as she stood and left the den as well.

The sun was barely shining through the gray clouds that dotted the sky. Ever cat could tell by the air's scent that it was going to rain soon. The young gray apprentice loved the rain, as any other RiverClan cat would. Rainpaw tried to keep her thoughts positive as she looked for Pebblewhisker.  
"Rainpaw! Come quick! Mistystep isn't feeling well." She heard Sunpaw saying. Her heart lurched as she raced after him toward the nursery. Mistystep had two kits that were only three moons old. If anything were to happen to her, Halfkit and Gemkit would be without a mother for three more moons until they could be apprentices. Rainpaw then realized how lucky she was to have even _had_ a mother all throughout her life as a kit. But she couldn't think about that now. She ducked into the den and took a few hurries paces towards the scene. Dewstripe was already there, trying to get Mistystep to eat a few poppy seeds to calm her.  
"Stripedfern…" the she-cat called as she trembled. With a pang of sympathy, Rainpaw remembered that Mistystep and Stripedfern had been close friends. Hearing about her leaving must have been painful. Mistystep looked over at Rainpaw, "Stripedfern…?" she rasped. Rainpaw looked over at Dewstripe. Should she lie and say she was Stripedfern so that Mistystep would recover? Or should she tell the truth?  
Dewstripe seemed to read her thoughts, "That's Rainpaw, dear." She mewed gently. The splotched white she-cat gave a shudder. "Eat these, Mistystep. You'll feel better." Dewstripe mewed. Mistystep's blue eyes grew pale, and she shook her head.  
"Stripedfern caused this…" Rainpaw muttered.  
Sunpaw glared over at her, "How dare you! Mother did nothing to cause this!" he spat. Dewstripe raised her fur as she glared at the two apprentices, silencing them.  
"Rainpaw, you can't blame your mother for this."  
"_She's_ the one that left! She was just too selfish to take other's feelings into consideration! She betrayed her Clan…" Rainpaw hissed. She had had enough. Turning, she stormed out of the nursery, muttering angrily to herself. She sat angrily at the entrance, curling her tail around her paws. Halfkit bounded over to her and rolled around on his back. Rainpaw looked down at him, and her hard gaze softened. She stifled a yowl of sadness. He was an innocent kit, and his mother was _dying_. And all she cared about was herself. Stripedfern may have been selfish, but Rainpaw was being just as selfish. Realizing this, Rainpaw fell down onto her stomach and gave Halfkit's ears a few sad licks.  
"Play with me and Gemkit!" he mewed happily.  
Rainpaw's eyes clouded with sadness, "Of course." Gemkit padded over and playfully swatted at Halfkit's ears. Halfkit stood up and tackled her.  
"Rainpaw, what are you doing?" Pebblewhisker called. Rainpaw stood and took her gaze off of the two kits.  
She faced Pebblewhisker, "Mistystep's dying…" she mewed softly.  
Pebblewhisker's green eyes widened, "I see…Well then, you keep these two busy. I'll go check on her." Rainpaw nodded and turned back to Halfkit and Gemkit.  
Rainpaw was still uncertain about Mistystep by nightfall. She lay in the apprentice den, not as close to her brother as usual. Finally, she forced herself to sleep, and hoped that she would see Minnowpelt in her dreams.

Her dreams were clouded with fear. Wherever Rainpaw was, she was running. Minnowpelt's scent flooded her nose quickly, causing her to skid to a halt.  
"Minnowpelt?" she called. A familiar she-cat padded forward, but another cat was with her. With shock, Rainpaw realized it was Mistystep.  
"Rainpaw…" Mistystep began with sorrow, "I need you to look after Gemkit and Halfkit. Tell them I love them."  
"But…why me?"  
"They're very attached to you…" Rainpaw gazed into her blue eyes, then nodded slowly.  
Minnowpelt spoke now, "Stripedfern safely made her journey. She's with Tricklestep now, and she's happy."  
"Back to her old self." Mistystep put it.  
"I couldn't care less about her." Rainpaw growled.  
Minnowpelt dipped her head, "That's understandable. But is it fair?" Rainpaw quickly glared down at her paws. She didn't want to admit her stubbornness. "Remember Halfkit." Minnowpelt reminded her gently. Rainpaw's gaze softened, and she looked up at the pair. "We must leave mow." Rainpaw looked away as they faded.

She opened her eyes slowly. Looking around the den, Rainpaw noticed that Sunpaw was gone. Her heart jumped. Had he gone to find Stripedfern? Rainpaw pushed her way out of the den. Tinypaw was the first cat she saw, and she raced over to him.  
"Where's Sunpaw?" she mewed quickly.  
"He's over there…?" he flicked his white tail in Sunpaw's direction, giving Rainpaw an odd look.  
"Sunpaw!" she called out. He looked over at her with his ears pricked. He braced himself as she almost collided into him. Her nose met his, "I'm so sorry." She apologized.  
Sunpaw shook his head, "Don't be. Every cat has had bad days."  
"But I've been so…I've been acting like a spoiled kit." Rainpaw sighed. Sunpaw said nothing, and there was a long silence between the two of them.  
"Drizzleclaw told me that I would be getting my warrior name soon…" Sunpaw spoke sorrowfully.  
Rainpaw looked at him, "Will you stand by your decision? Are you still leaving?"  
Sunpaw looked away, "Mother told me where she was going…She should be there by now." Rainpaw nodded as she remembered what Minnowpelt had told her. "I think it would be best if I didn't keep her waiting…" Sunpaw finished. Out of the corner of her eye, Rainpaw saw Drizzleclaw approaching the pair. He signaled to Sunpaw with his tail. Sunpaw gave Rainpaw a final look, his amber eyes clouded with sadness. Rainpaw dipped her head. He stood and padded away with his mentor, leaving Rainpaw by the fresh-kill pile to think.


End file.
